The current world record for the largest harvested basil leaf (in terms of area) belongs to one Susan Sauter from West Virginia who, in 1996, grew one 18 square inches. That record may soon be overtaken by the Supercloset company's newest indoor hydroponic system, the Big Buddha Box.

With multiple racks surrounding a central light column, the BBB is able to pack 108 square feet of planting space into a six-foot by six-foot floor plan—enough for 72 plants. By angling the plants slightly inward the system is able to coax the largest amount of growth from each. So far, the company has reportedly grown basil with 14 square inch leaves (and claimed ones up to 32 sq.in.). [Big Buds]

Why the "Gateway Drug" Argument is Complete BS

The Daily Caller recently ran a piece by Professor of Psychology at SUNY Albany, Mitch Earleywine, in which he utilized existing medical studies to effectively argue that it's actually alcohol that can lead to experimentation with harder drugs far more than marijuana. From the piece:

The notion that cannabis is a gateway drug has been so roundly disputed that modern scientific journals rarely publish work on this issue anymore. Most people who try the plant not only do not go on to use hard drugs, they do not even go on to use the plant regularly. Many who use hard drugs do so before they try cannabis, and the vast majority of those who try cannabis have never even seen hard drugs. (See Blaze-Temple and Lo, 1992, in The British Journal of Addiction as one of many, many examples.) In fact, a study published in the August issue of The Journal of School Health asserts that it is actually alcohol use that is a predictor for progression to harder drugs.

Did I mention that he did zero new research for this? Every point he argues is backed up with existing peer-reviewed studies. What do you think? Which is the worse "gateway drug"? [Daily Caller via 420 Times]